Frequently asked questions

diviStock is a research and education service for Canadian and US dividend run-up trading. Subscribers receive email alerts when stocks in our universe enter the optimal buy window before their ex-dividend date, and a second alert when the window closes. We do not execute trades for subscribers — alerts are research signals, and any trading decision belongs to the subscriber.

Self-directed retail investors comfortable making their own trading decisions. You should already understand what a brokerage account is, how to place a trade, and the basics of risk. diviStock is not a guided service; we send signals, you decide. If you've never traded stocks or feel uncertain about market mechanics, consider learning the basics first.

A dividend calendar tells you when ex-dividend dates fall. diviStock tells you when specific stocks in our validated universe are entering a historically favorable buy window for the dividend run-up strategy. The work is in choosing which stocks to track, validating the historical edge for each one, and timing the alerts — not in collecting dates.

diviStock is operated by an independent founder — a retail investor who developed the methodology over years of personal trading before building the platform. The decision to operate without public personal identification is deliberate; the credibility of the service rests on the documented historical performance, the live broker-verified track record, and the transparency of the methodology rather than on a personal brand. See the About page for the longer version, or write to [email protected] with specific questions.

The founder uses regulated brokerage accounts; specific account providers are not disclosed publicly. Trade confirmations are retained for every entry shown on the live performance page, and the same figures flow through to the founder's annual tax filings. We treat the broker-reported numbers as the source of truth. See the About page for the full verification statement.

The dividend run-up is the price appreciation that often occurs in a dividend-paying stock during the days leading up to its ex-dividend date, as buyers position themselves ahead of the dividend payment. diviStock signals are designed to capture this run-up: enter the position during a historically favorable buy window, and exit before the ex-dividend date — capturing the price rise while skipping the post-dividend price drop. Subscribers using diviStock signals as designed do not hold through the ex-dividend date and do not receive the underlying dividend payment. The strategy trades the run-up, not the dividend itself. This means gains are short-term capital gains, not dividend income — with no holding-period requirement and no dividend-tax-credit eligibility on these trades. One characteristic of the strategy is that holding periods are short relative to typical dividend investing — positions are entered and exited well within a single dividend cycle. Shorter holding periods mean less time exposed to broad market volatility, macroeconomic news, and unrelated company events. The trade-off is that risk is concentrated into a narrow window: earnings releases, gap-down opens, and stop-loss triggers within that window can fully offset the run-up. See the Risks below.

No. Some trades lose money. The expected run-up may fail to materialize, or the exit window may be missed and the position may be held through the ex-dividend price drop. The strategy has worked profitably across many trades historically (see Track record) but past performance does not predict future results, and individual trades can and do lose money.

Our universe is a curated list of high-quality dividend-paying stocks across Canadian and US markets. Stocks are added based on dividend reliability, liquidity, and how cleanly the dividend run-up pattern has held historically. The full universe is visible on the Tracked Dividend Calendar.

Every stock in our universe has an optimal buy/sell window — a span of time leading into its ex-dividend date during which the run-up pattern has historically shown a measurable edge. Subscribers receive a buy alert when a stock enters its window, and a sell alert when it's time to exit. The exact day each window opens and closes for each stock is part of the methodology — subscribers see it as concrete dates in each alert, but the underlying timing rules are not published.

Canadian dividend stocks (banks, utilities, telecoms) have a strong dividend run-up history. US stocks expand the universe meaningfully and give more trading opportunities month-to-month. Most subscribers focus on whichever market matches their account currency.

Buy and sell alerts go out at a few set points through the day on weekdays — morning, midday, and evening Eastern — so you'll typically have one in hand before you place a trade. You should never need to watch your screen during market hours just to use the service. Pro subscribers also receive intraday alerts during market hours if an open position moves +2% / -2% or more, plus end-of-day reminders summarizing any open positions ±2% from buy price. These are heads-ups, not instructions — see Do I have to react to intraday alerts? below.

No — but timing matters. The buy window for most stocks spans about a week. Missing the first day usually doesn't hurt; missing the last day means missing the trade entirely. Plan to act within a day or two of receiving the alert.

All recent alerts are visible in your account dashboard once logged in. Email is the primary delivery, but the dashboard is the system of record.

The free tier rotates monthly. On the 1st of each month we pick one stock from our verified universe — the highest-historical-edge stock that has a buy window starting that month — and free subscribers receive the real buy and sell alerts for that one stock. You see a different stock most months (whichever one's buy window is opening), so over a few months you get a feel for how the strategy performs across different sectors and market caps. Your account dashboard shows the current month plus the prior two months of featured-stock alerts. The free tier is meant to be a real sample of what Pro subscribers receive — same email format, same timing, same strategy — just for one stock instead of the full active picks list.

Pro subscribers receive four kinds of alerts:

• Buy alerts when a stock enters its optimal buy window
• Sell alerts on the day to close the position before ex-dividend
• Intraday alerts during market hours if an open position moves +2%, +3%, +4% (lock-in heads-up) or −2%, −3% (cut-loss heads-up)
• End-of-day reminders summarizing any open positions ±2% from your buy price

You can customize what you receive on your account page — filter US-only or Canada-only, opt into the watch list, or switch to a daily digest format instead of per-stock emails.

The watch list is a tier of stocks we're paper-tracking as candidates for the verified universe. They haven't completed our 10-year backtest validation yet — we monitor them silently for several months and decide whether to promote them based on real performance. By default, Pro subscribers don't receive watch-list alerts (only the verified stocks). You can opt in from your account page to receive watch-list alerts too — but expect higher volume and lower historical confidence. It's a feature for active traders who want broader coverage.

No. Intraday alerts are heads-ups, not instructions. The dividend run-up strategy is designed to work without intraday intervention — buy at the alert, hold until the sell alert, exit. The intraday alerts exist for subscribers who want the option to lock in a fast gain or cut a sharp loss before the planned exit. If you ignore them, the strategy still works as designed.

Yes. The strategy works without margin — returns are smaller on the same dollar amount because you're not leveraged, but the per-trade percentages are identical. Cash trading also avoids margin interest costs and margin call risk. Many subscribers prefer cash for these reasons.

Any brokerage that supports stock trading on the markets you want to trade (NYSE/NASDAQ for US stocks, TSX for Canadian). We don't recommend a specific broker. Consider commission costs (most discount brokers are now $0–$10), available account types, and tax reporting features.

It depends on your situation. The right amount for you depends on your overall financial picture, your broker's commission structure, how many positions you want to hold at once, and your risk tolerance. A few things to keep in mind: round-trip commissions matter more at smaller account sizes (a $10 round trip on a $1,000 position is 1%, vs 0.1% on a $10,000 position), and the strategy works best when capital is spread across several positions rather than concentrated in one trade. Use our trade scenario calculator to model your specific numbers. We deliberately don't recommend a specific minimum — that would be personalized financial advice, which we're not licensed to give.

We deliberately avoid making forward-looking return claims. Historical per-trade returns have averaged in the low single-digit percent range, with significant variation. The Track record page documents one calendar year ($89,074 across 87 trades, 67.8% win rate). Your results depend on capital deployed, broker costs, slippage, taxes, and how diligently you execute the signals — none of which we control.

Losses happen. A meaningful percentage of historical trades have closed at a loss; the strategy depends on average gain across many trades exceeding average loss. The largest single losing trade is often much bigger than the largest single winning trade. Position sizing matters: don't concentrate capital in a single trade.

Yes. Dividend income is taxable in both Canada and the US, though specific treatment depends on your country of residence, account type (TFSA, RRSP, RRIF, taxable, IRA, 401k), and the stock's home market. Canadian residents trading Canadian dividend stocks in taxable accounts may benefit from the dividend tax credit. We are not tax advisors — consult one for your specific situation.

No. diviStock provides research and educational content only. We are not registered investment advisors. Alerts are signals, not instructions, and we do not know your financial situation, goals, or risk tolerance. Decisions about whether and how to trade are yours alone. See our Financial Disclaimer.

diviStock is not responsible for your trading losses. By subscribing you acknowledge that trading involves risk, that past performance does not guarantee future results, and that you are solely responsible for your own trading decisions. We recommend never trading with capital you cannot afford to lose.

No. No trading strategy is guaranteed. Markets change, dividend policies change, and historical patterns sometimes break down. We share what we believe is honest information about how the strategy has worked, with full acknowledgement that future results may differ.

Because market conditions are not stationary. The dividend run-up strategy worked well in one decade and may work poorly in the next. Interest rates, market sentiment, tax law changes, and corporate dividend behavior all affect outcomes. We share historical results to demonstrate that the strategy has been profitable in real accounts — not to imply future returns of any specific magnitude.

diviStock is a publisher of research and educational content. We are not registered with the Ontario Securities Commission, the SEC, or any other securities regulator as an investment advisor or dealer, because we do not provide personalized investment advice or trade on behalf of clients. If you require regulated investment advice, consult a registered advisor in your jurisdiction.

$14.99 CAD per month, billed monthly. See Pricing for current details.

Yes. Cancel anytime from your account page. You retain access through the end of your current billing period, and we don't renew after cancellation.

We don't offer customer-satisfaction refunds — once a billing period has started, no prorated refund is issued for the unused portion. Cancelling stops future renewals immediately. We do refund billing errors — duplicate charges, charges after cancellation, or incorrect amounts. Email support with your billing details if you spot one and we'll fix it.

Yes. We never sell, rent, or share your personal information. Your trade journal (if you use it) is private to you and never shown to other subscribers or the public. See our Privacy Policy for details on what we collect and how long we keep it.

diviStock is operated as a Canadian sole proprietorship based in Canada. We comply with Canadian privacy law (PIPEDA) and applicable provincial regulations.